


AU - Androgyn

by Aria6



Series: A Coyote's Stories [39]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Arranged Marriage, Genderbending, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 01:40:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3363062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria6/pseuds/Aria6





	AU - Androgyn

"No. Absolutely not."

"Shunsui, you have to." Juushiro said patiently as he tried to braid his best friend and master's hair. "Your mother is expecting us tonight and you simply must be presentable. Now stop squirming and let me put this braid in." It was going to be a new style currently favored at the court, called a love braid. Not all of his hair would be braided, just a small line. That would be left to drape over his shoulder, outside of his usual ponytail. Juushiro thought it would be quite pretty when he finished threading it with the golden cord he'd selected. If Shunsui ever let him finish it, at least.

"I like my hair the way it is." His best friend growled but relented slightly, sitting still as he began quickly working on the braid. "Why in hell do I have to meet this woman? I'm not interested in getting married!"

"I told you, it's not a woman. It's an androgyn." Juushiro said patiently and Shunsui hissed in disgust. "I know how you feel about that but apparently it strongly favors the male gender." Androgyns were very unusual. They were a strange deviation of humanity, with both male and female genitals. The arrangement was slightly different – the testicles were normally tiny and they tended to be less fertile in the male position – but they were more than capable of bearing children.

"Ugh, one of those horrible shemales… where did my mother even dig it up?" Shunsui asked. It was a rhetorical question but Juushiro answered anyway.

"It's part of the Coyote family, from the far North. They're a fairly prominent clan, I'm told." Shunsui didn't look impressed and Juushiro knew he had good reason not to be. The whole Northern lands tended to be quite barbaric. And from the family name, the Coyote family had mated with the beast people. That might give the androgyn some animal attributes. Not something high society looked favorably on.

"Mother must be getting desperate to marry me off, to try this." Shunsui muttered and Juushiro sighed, rubbing his forehead. He knew all about his friend's troubles although he had no idea what could be done about them.

Shunsui was currently the eldest son and clan heir. He'd had an older brother, once, but he had died of a disease. The same illness had claimed two more of his brothers and one sister, as well as his father. He had only one more sibling left, and the poor boy would never be allowed to inherit. He'd been born wrong and was officially categorized as a simpleton. That meant the clan was obligated to care for him, but he would never hold any kind of power in the Kyoraku family.

So someday, likely soon, Shunsui would find himself in a position of power among his clan. All he needed to assume that spot was a wife and, preferably, an heir of his own. What made that difficult was Shunsui's sexuality. He was completely, utterly, irredeemably gay. He liked to flirt with the ladies but it was the men who invariably graced his bed.

So his mother had taken to bringing in every single androgyn she could find. Most of them, regrettably, had breasts and favored a female body shape. This one was supposed to be an exception and Juushiro actually had hopes for it. He wanted Shunsui to find a life partner and be happy.

"There, you're beautiful." Juushiro smiled as he arranged the braid with deliberate artistry. That would likely be ruined as soon as Shunsui turned his head, but that was how things went. "Now, what kimono do you want to wear?" He asked and Shunsui growled before sighing.

"I suppose the dark blue? The gold embroidery will go well with the braid and you could set it off with a star sapphire earring." That was an excellent suggestion and Juushiro nodded. He was technically Shunsui's manservant, but his best friend had wonderful fashion sense. Really, his function was more as a companion than anything. That was something Shunsui needed desperately.

Juushiro himself came from relatively humble beginnings. His family was minor nobility but they had fallen onto hard times, thanks to bad investments… or rather, his father's gambling debts. He'd met Shunsui at school before things had gotten bad, and they had become very good friends. After they'd graduated Juushiro had tried to find a place as a tutor, to help make some money for the family. When Shunsui had found out what he was up to he'd insisted Juushiro take a place as his manservant. The wage was grossly inflated for that kind of work, but Juushiro hadn't been able to say no. It was precisely what his family had needed to begin pulling themselves out of the hole dug by his father's foolishness.

Of course, that had been over a decade ago. Now, he could have left tomorrow, if he'd really wanted to. But Juushiro had no desire to ever leave. Despite rumors, he wasn't Shunsui's lover and never had been, but he cared for his friend very much. This was his home now.

"Why haven't I heard of this one before? Even if it is from an obscure clan, I thought I knew all the androgyns my mother might trot in front of me." Shunsui said and Juushiro frowned slightly. He knew the answer although he didn't like it.

"The sapphire looks wonderful… and I'm afraid it's fifteen years old." He said reluctantly and Shunsui choked a little. "This will actually be its first trip away to our country."

"Sweet kami! Juushiro, I'm thirty-five!" Shunsui protested and Juushiro sighed to himself. He'd known this was coming. "That's just… just…"

"Entirely typical?" He finished lightly and his friend shot him a glare. "Shunsui, you know how many powerful men have married fifteen year olds? I can think of about five offhand. Let's see, there was that man from the Shihoin clan, there was Nakamura Ito – you remember that, we were invited to the wedding – there was that old goat from the Omaeda clan… now there was a scandal, he was pushing seventy! And –"

"Alright, alright! I get the picture. It's not unusual but I am not a lover of children." Shunsui said dangerously and Juushiro shook his head.

"Apparently, the androgyn is well grown for a fifteen year old. Its' name is Coyote Starrk, by the way." Shunsui should already know that but perhaps he had forgotten. Although Juushiro had no faith that his friend would hold onto the information now. "Come on, we should go." They needed to get to the ball. His friend left the room muttering and Juushiro sighed to himself.

Shunsui didn't want to be married at all, let alone to an androgyn. He would probably drive this one away like the rest.

* * *

"I'm so excited Starrk! What are you going to wear, what are you going to wear?" His little maidservant, Lilinette, was eagerly sorting through his clothing. "Needs to make just the right statement. None of this girly stuff, it doesn't look right on you anyway! Hmm, how about this?" She held up a golden cloth and Starrk regarded it with jaundiced eyes.

"It looks like it could have fed a village for a year – oof!" Lilinette had just kicked him in the belly. "Lilinette." He muttered, rubbing himself as she sneered.

"It belonged to your grandmamma! Stop harping you bastard! You couldn't resell it for a tenth what it cost brand new anyhow." She said with reasonable accuracy and Starrk sighed as he looked at the cloth. His grandmother was deceased and had been very close to his size, in height and general width. He'd been given the kimonos that suited his own kind of beauty. Which actually wasn't many… the gold and a grey and white with a small pattern of koi fish on the arms. Speaking of which…

"How about the grey and white? That one is rather feminine for a first meeting." He said and Lilinette frowned as she regarded the kimono. "You can put a very nice belt on it." That was what made the grey and white so attractive. A really gorgeous obi and it was beyond beautiful. Lilinette frowned as she looked through his closet again.

"Oh hey, what about this one?" She pulled out something new and Starrk winced.

"No. I hate the sleeves and I am not a woman." He said firmly. Despite his standing as an androgyn, he despised being identified as the female gender. 'It' was fine but he preferred to be considered a man. That was his self-identification, despite his confused genitals and the ability to bear children. "Besides, it's too formal for a first meeting." The furisode, with its' draping sleeves, was of first rate fabric and construction. It was just a touch too formal for this occasion. Lilinette considered it for a moment before putting it back.

"At least it has nice colors." She said, which was true. The furisode was a beautiful cream with gold, orange and brown patterns. Starrk thought he looked best in harvest colors and his family agreed. "Okay, I think the grey and white will do. Let's get you kitted up."

"Right." Starrk said with a complete lack of enthusiasm. Soon Lilinette was helping him dress. He did need her, getting into a full formal kimono was not the easiest thing in the world. The obi she found for him was extremely beautiful, so heavily embroidered in an intricate, geometric pattern that it was hard to tell what the base color was beneath. "I wonder how many villages this could – ow!"

"I told you, stop harping! Now bend your head down." Starrk sighed and did as he was bid. Her agile fingers made short work of a part of his hair, working in a love braid. That style had caught on like wildfire in the North and Starrk didn't really mind it. The heavy weight of a braid on the side of his face was almost pleasant. The rest of his hair was left to fall in its usual, free to the breeze style. "I wish you'd grow out your hair. You've got great hair, Starrk."

"It would get in the way of my training." He said firmly. Until just recently, he'd been in training to become a knight. That was before his family had been contacted by the Kyoraku clan. It had come as a shock to them, particularly since the object of their interest was the one 'daughter' they had assumed would never marry. "If I can continue it." Starrk muttered, his hands clenching into fists for a moment. "I feel like a cow being driven to the slaughter." And that was actually a fairly apt comparison. Just like the cattle, he had reached his maturity before being taken far from his home. Lilinette sighed.

"Don't look at it like that Starrk. Try to look at it as an opportunity." She urged him and he really, truly tried. For his clan this was certainly a great opportunity. Being tied to such a powerful family in the verdant Southern kingdom would give them a great advantage over their squabbling rivals. And it was certainly no idle suit. The Kyoraku clan had sent a full complement of guards, including trained kido wielders, to help assure his safety as he travelled South. They really did want him here and they really did hope he would marry their clan heir. Starrk wasn't sure why all hopes had suddenly been pinned on him but he assumed the man must have odd tastes.

Considering himself one last time in the mirror, Starrk reached up to scratch his beard for a moment. His own clan head had seriously considered ordering him to shave it off, but the messenger had strongly suggested his appearance be left as is. Shrugging, Starrk turned away from the mirror and left his suites.

Tonight, he would meet Kyoraku Shunsui. What happened after that would be up to him.

* * *

"Where is the androgyn? I can't see it." Shunsui glanced around the room and Juushiro frowned. He was honestly having trouble spotting it too.

The Coyote clan had sent several representatives along with the androgyn, to give him protection and companionship. Right now, though, they were causing some confusion. Normally an androgyn was easy to pick out, with their curious blend of male and female attributes, but apparently they had not been exaggerating when they said this one favored the male side. There were several strange men but they were at a loss.

Fortunately, Shunsui's mother resolved that problem. She conversed for a moment with a small group before leading a young man to them. Shunsui's eyes widened and Juushiro felt a bit of shock as he looked at the stranger. Did he… it actually have a beard? If he hadn't known better he would have sworn he was looking at a man. And not a fifteen year old, either. Twenty would have been his guess. It was hard to tell with the kimono in the way but even so, he could tell there was a strong and powerful body beneath it.

"Shunsui, this is Coyote Starrk of the Coyote clan." That definitely resolved it and Shunsui took the young man's… androgyn's hand, still looking stunned. "This is my son, Kyoraku Shunsui."

"Charmed, I'm sure." Shunsui murmured before he brushed a kiss over those knuckles. The androgyn smiled, a wry twist of his lips. There was a very guarded look in its eyes.

"I'm sure you say that to all the ladies." He said dryly and Juushiro blinked at the timber of its voice. There was no hint at all of feminine notes. No, it was male through and through. "And perhaps all the boys as well."

"Ah! All the ladies, to be sure, but only the men who interest me. Would you care to dance, Coyote Starrk?" Shunsui asked and the androgyn hesitated a moment before forcing a smile. Juushiro felt a mild apprehension as he realized Shunsui had suddenly become very interested but the young androgyn was reluctant at best. That was strange… most of the androgyn's his mother had brought in had been very eager to get to know Shunsui. Vaguely, he wondered what Starrk's history was. It seemed uncomfortable with its role here.

"I would be honored." The words felt rehearsed, wooden. Shunsui just smiled and gently led Starrk to the dance floor. His mother watched, a pleased smile on her face at a bit of matchmaking that was going well. Juushiro had a bad feeling that something unfortunate was going to occur, though. Shunsui was a bit too enthusiastic and he seemed to have forgotten he was dealing with a fifteen year old.

A very fiery fifteen year old. Halfway through the second song there was a loud yelp and practically the entire room turned to stare as a silk clad foot came down on Shunsui's foot, followed by a fist in the eye. It wasn't a dainty, feminine swing, either. Juushiro winced as the smack resounded through the room and Shunsui staggered, clutching his injury.

"Keep your hands off my ass, you lecher!" Starrk snarled before stalking out of the room, practically radiating offended dignity. There was a confused shuffle among the Coyote delegation before they hurried after him. Juushiro put a hand over his face as one of the servants helped Shunsui steady himself and his mother began to remonstrate him. This was not going as well as he'd hoped.

"Why did you do that?" Juushiro asked his friend later, when they had a private moment. The androgyn hadn't returned so the meal was going on without him. Shunsui smiled at him charmingly.

"I just wanted to see how he felt under that kimono. It was worth doing! I can't wait to see what he would look like naked." Shunsui said and Juushiro noted the pronoun. "He's the most masculine androgyn I've ever seen. I hate to admit it, but my mother might have hit the target dead on with this one."

"I think Starrk is less thrilled." Juushiro said dryly as Shunsui's smile widened to a grin. "How do you intend to get past that?"

"Oh Juu, you know me! I'll have him eating out of my hand before the month is out." He said cheerfully. Juushiro thought that might be rather optimistic, but he was certain his friend would try. And Shunsui could be very, very charming when he tried. It might take longer than a month, but he would likely have what he wanted in the end.

* * *

"That bastard!" Starrk fumed as he stripped away the kimono. He was careful not to damage the fabric, but that was out of respect for his grandmother more than anything. He could remember her wearing it and he'd cared for her, deeply. "Lilinette!" She wasn't there, sleeping most likely. His little maidservant stumbled into the room, yawning.

"Ugh, what are you doing back so soon? Hey, you were supposed to have supper with them! What happened?" She demanded as she really woke up. Starrk growled as she took the kimono, carefully shaking it out before hanging it back up.

"That… that… cretin felt me up!" Starrk still couldn't believe it. No one had _ever_ touched him that way. Lilinette goggled at him a moment before snickering. "It's not funny!"

"Yeah it is. Now you're suddenly finding out what it's like to be a girl, huh?" She said merrily and Starrk hissed. Then he smiled, grimly.

"Well, at least he probably won't be interested in me any further." The head of his own delegation had given him quite a dressing down. Apparently they were all quite sure that after his actions, they would be sent away tomorrow. Starrk couldn't give less of a damn. Really, he would be glad to get back to his knight mentor and finish his training. Only a year or two and he would be ready to swear his fealty to the King and take his place as a belted knight. "I don't care if it's a disappointment for the clan." He said firmly as Lilinette looked unhappy.

"Yeah, well… I kind of hoped it would work out for you, Starrk. You don't like girls." She said and Starrk winced slightly. Lilinette hadn't been his maidservant long but she already knew him fairly well and she was dead right about that. He'd had a slight crush on his knight mentor, but that had been nothing but foolishness. Finding a lover as a knight, though, might be very difficult for him.

"I don't like him either. I need a bath and then I'm going to bed." He said firmly. He was hungry, but no food was going to be delivered. The head of his delegation, a close kinsman, had made that clear. Starrk didn't care. This would hardly be the first time he'd experienced hunger. He'd been apprenticed quite young and his knight mentor had sometimes disciplined him by sending him to bed without supper. After a quick scrub to rid himself of the unpleasant experience, Starrk pulled on his sleep kimono and went to bed.

Hopefully this would all be over soon and he could go back to his training.

* * *

"I, wait, what?" Starrk looked at the white haired man in front of him with absolute surprise. "…Tea?" He asked weakly although his stomach growled at the thought. He hadn't been given any breakfast either, which the young androgyn thought was taking things rather far. Even when he'd been spectacularly bratty his knight mentor had never denied him more than one meal. "Um… ow!" Lilinette had just kicked him.

"You need to say "I would be honored" Starrk! Jeez, you're so not a morning person." She grumped at him and he growled right back.

"Shut it! I… would be honored." He managed to say with a small semblance of graciousness. The white haired man in front of him smiled, amused. Starrk wasn't certain of his name. He knew he was a trusted servant of some kind, though. "Forgive me, but may I ask your name?" He suddenly asked and the other man's smile warmed.

"I'm Ukitake Juushiro, of the Ukitake clan. We're very minor nobility." He said and Starrk blinked at the information. But an impoverished nobleman might easily become the paid companion to a much higher ranked noble. "Please, if you don't mind me asking… do you prefer to be referred to as he, she or it?" He asked and Starrk actually appreciated the question. It was far nicer than someone referring to him in the female gender.

"I prefer to be called he. I identify strongly with the masculine gender." He said firmly and Juushiro nodded. For some reason that seemed to please him. "Ah, where…?" He had no idea where to go. Juushiro smiled again.

"Just ring for a servant." Then he had to point out the bellpull. Starrk had missed it. Could he have called for breakfast? Perhaps, although then the man in charge of him, a distant cousin, would have been even angrier with him. "I'll let him know you'll meet him in an hour?" He made that a question and Starrk nodded.

"That will be plenty of time." He needed to get ready but it wasn't like that would require much. Of course, it would good to give it a bit of extra time because –

"YAY! I'm going to make you so pretty!" Starrk groaned as Lilinette dragged him to the closet. "Hmm, it's a brunch, we can't go too formal. How about this?"

"Sure, that would be fine." He said without looking as he thought. Shunsui still wanted to see him? He had to have a rather spectacular black eye. Starrk hadn't held back at all. This was very strange. Was someone forcing him…?

"Oi! You didn't even look!" Starrk winced as Lilinette kicked him and finally gazed at the kimono she was offering him. It was dark green and very rich, a hand me down from his older sister. It had been tailored to him, though, and looked rather good. He nodded and that was all the encouragement she needed. "Okay, lift your arms." Then they began the torturous process of getting him into a formal kimono. It didn't really take that long, though, with experienced hands helping him. "Now for some jewelry. You know, you should get your ears pierced. And you need more jewelry. Geez, I've got nothing to work with here!" She muttered in frustration as she poked through his small collection of accessories. Starrk sighed.

"Well, considering most of those are from when I was ten…" It was no wonder a lot of it consisted of seashells on leather. Fortunately, or not, his mother and sisters had all contributed a few extra pieces in an effort to get him ready. Lilinette finally settled on a thin gold necklace with an emerald pendant. The pendant was badly flawed, a cheap gem, but it was a real stone.

A servant showed him to the open aired patio where the tea was waiting. So was Shunsui, with a hat shading his head as he dozed in the sun. Starrk blinked, a bit taken aback by the sight as he took his seat.

"I hope I haven't been keeping you waiting." He said, more sarcastically than he intended. But falling asleep when you knew a guest was arriving seemed strange to him, to say the least. Shunsui yawned, pushing the hat back with a smile.

"I just didn't want to waste the sunshine. Isn't it a gorgeous day?" He said charmingly and Starrk felt an unwilling smile tug his lips. Then he frowned, reaching for a teacup as he glanced over the assortment of food, trying to conceal his hunger. An effort that failed miserably when his stomach picked that moment to growl, loudly. "Are you hungry? Please, help yourself."

"Thank you." Starrk said before grabbing a sandwich. He didn't care if it wasn't mannerly, he was starving. He wolfed it down in three bites before taking another. "I used to do things like that, until my mentor beat it out of me." Sleeping in the sun… that had once been his favorite pastime. Starrk suddenly wondered if he could begin indulging himself again.

"Beat it out of you?" Shunsui sounded a touch surprised. "What was your mentor teaching you?" He asked and Starrk blinked as he realized the other man knew almost nothing about him. Well, that was fair enough. He knew nothing about Shunsui either.

"My knight mentor. I might be an androgyn but given that I'm a _Yahun Goin_ my family decided to raise me as a man." That term clearly puzzled the man across from him and Starrk translated. "That's the language of my grandmother's people and it means half-man. Androgyns of my type are relatively common there." They were incredibly rare everywhere else. "They call regular androgyns _Yahun Goah_ , which means half-woman."

"Fascinating! You'll have to tell me more about that sometime… but you were in training to be a knight?" Shunsui asked and Starrk nodded, his mouth full of his third sandwich. He was still hungry but this was definitely taking the edge off. "You'll have to show me your skills."

"Gladly." Starrk said, hiding a bit of anticipation. His knight mentor had worked him hard. If Shunsui was the lazy sybarite he seemed, he'd wipe the floor with the man. Shunsui smiled, his grey eyes twinkling as he sipped his tea. Starrk reached for his glass, reminded of the beverage. After all he'd eaten, he was thirsty.

They chatted for a while and Starrk felt himself relaxing, falling a bit to Shunsui's easy charm. Eventually, though, Shunsui was summoned for clan business. He was reluctant to go, which surprised Starrk a bit. Had the other man really forgiven him that easily for the black eye? But he couldn't detect any resentment for it and as he was about to leave, Shunsui turned to him.

"I almost forgot… I would like to apologize for my actions at dinner last night. It won't happen again." Shunsui said, sounding genuinely contrite. Starrk greeted that with a bit of skepticism but smiled sweetly at the man.

"I'm sure it won't." He said before lifting his arm and letting his kimono sleeve fall to his shoulder. That revealed his arm, which was clearly that of a young, powerful man. That wasn't what made Shunsui stare, though. No, that was the knife strapped to his arm. The leather sheath holding it and the blade itself were clearly old and well used. "I'll make certain of it." He said and the servant waiting for Shunsui gasped softly. The man across from him, though, suddenly grinned.

"I will most definitely keep that in mind! I love a challenge." The heat in his eyes made Starrk blush lightly as he let the kimono fall back down. Did Shunsui really find him attractive? It seemed he did. Maybe there was a very good reason he'd been selected to come here, as insane as it seemed. But then, given all the effort they'd gone to that was expected. Starrk watched Shunsui depart before looking at the food. There was still plenty and he decided to try finishing it off.

Well grown or not, he was a teenager and had quite an appetite.

* * *

"Ooof!" Starrk grunted as he took a blow to the belly. His opponent smiled as the young androgyn just barely avoided a strike that would have gone through his throat, if they had been working with live steel. "You're… good…" He panted out as he set his feet and went after Shunsui with grim intent. This wasn't as bad as fighting his mentor, but it wasn't good. And Starrk had a feeling Shunsui wasn't going all out on him.

"Of course! I've had very good teachers." Shunsui said merrily. He hardly seemed out of breath, which annoyed the teenager across from him. He also thought the older man was at least partly a liar. Good teachers? Perhaps, but it was more than that –

"Argh!" Starrk gasped as his weapon was torn out of his hand by a very clever move. Then he ended up pinned to a pole, a sword at his throat. Shunsui fought with two swords, a style he'd heard of but never seen before. "Good teachers, huh?" He said as the other man smiled. "At your age? Tell me, how many duels have you been in?" He was willing to bet the answer was 'lots'. The smile widened into a grin.

"Ah, you have me! Mother made sure I had the best training when I was young because she knew I would be trouble. And I have been, oh yes. Maybe two dozen?" He said and Starrk winced a little. His knight mentor had only been in eight. Although he was quite a bit younger than Shunsui. Starrk found it hard to believe the other man was thirty-five, but one of his escorts had mentioned it.

"Well, you have my knight mentor beat. But then, he's only twenty-six." Starrk said lightly. "Maybe he'll equal you someday, if he lives that long." Starrk thought that would require a minor miracle. Knights fought hard and he'd already seen the man come close to death once. He'd come just as close himself.

"Hmm, might he? I think I would like to meet him." Shunsui said and Starrk opened his mouth to say that was very likely. It would take a while before his mentor realized his apprentice wasn't coming back but when he figured it out, he was going to be furious. Then warm lips went over his and Starrk's eyes went wide.

It was his first kiss. Starrk just experienced it, wondering at the feeling. It was… good. Very good. He tangled his hands in Shunsui's clothing as he felt that warm tongue exploring his mouth, so very experienced… Starrk tried to return the heat, but he felt clumsy even to himself. Shunsui finally pulled away with a soft chuckle.

"Your first kiss?" He asked as Starrk blushed and nodded slightly. "I wonder what other firsts I can have from you…" He said before kissing the young androgyn's throat. Starrk's eyes went wide as he took in the meaning of that.

"Shunsui! You can't… I… we just met!" He'd been at the Kyoraku estates for only a few days. That hardly seemed long enough to fall into bed with this man. Shunsui chuckled before kissing his throat again. Starrk gasped at the feeling of those warm lips on his skin.

"But you are going to be my wife." He murmured and Starrk swallowed as he heard the absolute certainty in that voice. "And it's hardly unusual, in arranged marriages, to see the other person for the first time on the wedding day. We've had more than that, no? I want you Starrk. Let me have you." The warm lust made him shudder with a combination of desire and fear. "I want to feel you…"

"No!" Starrk suddenly took action. He dug his fist into Shunsui's belly, although not remotely full force, and twisted away. He managed to break the other man's grip and took a few steps away before halting and looking at him severely. "It's too soon. I want to know you at least a month." He said firmly and Shunsui, oddly, didn't look too unhappy with him. To the contrary, he seemed rather pleased.

"A month! Tell me Starrk. Did your knight-mentor ever court a woman that long?" He asked playfully and Starrk blushed before he scowled.

"No. That usually took an hour, if that." He said dryly and Shunsui laughed. "But I'm not in his place here, I'm one of the barmaids. And I thought they were idiots for taking him." A wandering knight would do them no good and possibly quite a bit of harm. Raising a bastard child on a barmaids' salary wouldn't exactly be easy. The ones in larger towns might have had anti-pregnancy charms, but Starrk was sure many of them didn't. "Besides, I have my pride. I'll make you work a bit harder than that." Starrk knew almost nothing about proper courtships but he knew that much. You didn't fall into bed with someone the first day. Or the third. And this wasn't even a bed, it was a practice yard. If he'd said yes would Shunsui have fucked him against that pole? The thought made his sex flex and Starrk swallowed. He almost regretted saying no.

"I love having to work for it." Shunsui purred and Starrk blushed as, again, he felt a bit of desire. How was this relative stranger doing this to him? "It's a challenge then! I'll get you in my bed before the month is out." He said it so confidently that Starrk's eyes narrowed.

"Hmph. Well, you're free to try. Now, defend yourself!" He scooped up his practice sword and attacked. Shunsui was forced to quickly find his blades and soon they were moving across the grounds again. Far above, Juushiro watched them from a window and smiled to himself.

He had high hopes for this.

* * *

Starrk smiled as he lay in the grass and enjoyed the sun. As he did, his eyes slid to the man next to him. Shunsui was dozing, a straw hat shading his face.

"I'd forgotten how much I loved this." He murmured as he listened to the music. Nearby, an older woman was playing an instrument that was foreign to him. It was somewhat similar to the banjo, but much longer with three strings. It provided a pleasant background to the already beautiful day. Starrk let his eyes slide closed, just enjoying the moment.

He hadn't meant to fall asleep but knew he had, when he was roused by a hand on his shoulder. Shunsui was smiling down at him and Starrk yawned, blinking as he looked up. The light seemed to halo Shunsui's head, making him seem like an angel. Starrk smiled at the whimsy and sat up as Shunsui spoke.

"Would you like some lunch? It was just delivered." He said and Starrk looked at the tray on the ground, swallowing back a bit of saliva. The food was sushi with fresh fish, looking tempting and delicious. His stomach grumbled and Starrk blushed as Shunsui laughed. "Ah, you always do that! It's so cute."

"I am a teenager." He pointed out before taking some sushi. "I need to eat more than you, old man." He said teasingly and Shunsui winced theatrically.

"Ah, do you have to remind me? I feel so ancient now!" He complained as Starrk ate a bit of the food. Then he took a sip of his tea, being careful of the sleeves of his kimono. He was in the furisode… there had been a rather formal tea in the morning and he'd decided not to change. The thing did look good on him, despite the sleeves.

"Speaking of ancient… I know almost nothing about you. Do you have any siblings?" Starrk said, changing the subject slightly. Shunsui paused as he reached for the food before giving him a small smile.

"I did. Unfortunately, there was a plague five years ago. I still have one brother but he's not normal. You've seen him… he drools quite a bit." Shunsui said lightly and Starrk winced. He had wondered about that young man, hardly older than himself, whom the servants paid such close attention to. The poor boy couldn't even dress himself. The only positive that Starrk could see was that he was likely incapable of understanding his condition.

"I'm sorry. So you're the clan heir now?" He said quietly and wasn't surprised when Shunsui nodded. "That explains a lot." Shunsui definitely liked men, which made it a real challenge to find a mate for him. Often men like that just had to swallow their pride and accept a loveless marriage for power, but Shunsui was clearly not that kind of man.

"Doesn't it? But tell me more about yourself. Do you have siblings?" Shunsui asked and Starrk smiled a bit as he thought about it.

"Oh yes. Three brothers and two sisters. That's the legitimate ones." He said frankly as Shunsui ate a bit of sushi, listening with interest. "I also have five half-brothers and three half-sisters as well as two more about to hit the cradle." That made Shunsui look at him with a touch of disbelief. Starrk spoke a touch defensively. "My father is rather virile."

"He must be! Sweet kami… how many concubines does he have?" Shunsui asked and Starrk smiled at the question.

"Only two. They tend to get pregnant simultaneously. And sometimes they sync with my mother, too." Starrk sighed as Shunsui's eyes widened. "Father usually finds somewhere else to be when that happens." Three pregnant women, all of them complaining about being fat… yes, his father liked to be elsewhere. "There's also dozens of cousins, plenty of minor clan offshoots, more that have gone into the merchant classes… wiping out the Coyote clan would be practically impossible." He summed up as Shunsui laughed. "It would require a bloodbath." It was not unknown for clans to massacre each other and the King didn't much care as long as the damage was contained to the nobility. The Coyote clan was such a difficult target for that that no one would bother. They could be hurt in other ways.

"I have plenty of cousins, too. And if something happened to me tomorrow there would probably be a vicious battle to determine who would be the next clan head." Shunsui said with a crooked smile and Starrk winced.

"Oh, I see." That explained even more to him. Clans had been destroyed by that kind of infighting before, and being a prominent clan would only make the fall harder when it came. Undoubtedly the Kyoraku clan had plenty of enemies who would love to take advantage of their weakness. "Have you always lived here?" Starrk asked, wondering if Shunsui had a more interesting history than his. He was older, he should.

"Oh no. For a long time I was our families' emissary to the King's court…" Shunsui began telling him some very entertaining stories of the past then. Starrk smiled as he listened. A lot of them made Kyoraku sound like a fool, but he knew that a clan emissary to the King was a rather important position. Starrk didn't know him well yet, but Shunsui's skill with a sword and the trust his clan obviously put in him hinted that there was far more to the man than his lazy ways. Starrk wasn't worried though.

He would have a long time to find out everything about Kyoraku Shunsui.


End file.
